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Bud Light’s disastrous ad campaign featuring transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney led to major backlash and declining revenue.
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Despite the nose-dive — parent company Anheuser-Busch said last month that revenue in the U.S. market declined by 9.5% in 2023 and dropped by 17.3% in the fourth quarter — not everyone is shying away from the iconic beer brand.
UFC, the global mixed martial arts promotion, made Bud Light its official beer late last year and now one of its stars, Dustin Poirier, has joined the company as a partner.
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“Dude, I’m pumped up about this. Bud Light, Budweiser is an American brand that’s been around. It’s historic, it’s been involved in sports forever. When I got the call to be on the team, I was super excited,” Poirier told Fox News Digital in a recent interview, fresh off his UFC 299 knockout earlier this month.
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Poirier said he isn’t afraid of backlash, adding that the UFC and Bud Light have been in business for quite some time now.
“It is what it is. Of course, people want clickbait and any kind of traction they can get, but in life, in fighting, in business there’s ups and downs. We go through life and learn and keep moving. That’s what it’s all about, that’s what fighting’s about. We keep it forward,” he said.
“I didn’t have any stress being in line with this brand. Obviously, this year they’re starting a new partnership with the UFC, but they’ve been in the Octagon for a long time.”
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The 35-year-old Lafayette, La., native acknowledged that Bud Light “learned (its) lessons,” but compared his fighting career to the company’s rocky year.
“I can beat anybody in the world, but I can lose to anybody in the world, too, because I’m human,” he said. “Listen, man, I have 50 fights. I’ve been at the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows in this sport. And just like I said, aligning with this brand, Bud Light, you have to keep moving forward. You learned your lessons, be better than you were the last time — keep training, keep fighting and keep living. That’s life, man.”
Poirier is expected to take on Islam Mackhachev at some point this year for the lightweight title.
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